The Antler Continental Europe Berlin 2026 residency offers selected early-stage founders the opportunity to build alongside approximately 100 entrepreneurs drawn from across Europe.

Berlin serves as the main hub for the Antler ONE residency, while Amsterdam and Munich operate as local launch pads. Complete teams and founders searching for co-founders join the shared Berlin community before progressing through the wider investment process.

The next published cohort starts on 14 September 2026. Antler describes this as a programme start date rather than a final application deadline, although founders are strongly advised to submit early.

What Is Antler ONE Berlin?

Antler ONE is Antler’s Continental European inception-stage investment platform.

It combines an intensive founder residency with the possibility of receiving up to €500,000 in initial capital. Antler works with founders before or during the earliest stages of company creation and can continue investing in selected companies through Series C.

The opportunity is not a grant and investment is not guaranteed. Every team must demonstrate sufficient progress and earn the approval of Antler’s investment committee.

How Long Is the Berlin Residency?

The programme has two broad tracks.

Complete founding teams usually participate for approximately six weeks. These teams focus on product development, execution, commercial validation and preparing the company for an investment decision.

Solo founders and incomplete teams may spend around ten weeks in the residency. The additional time supports co-founder matching, idea development and testing team dynamics.

Founders from Amsterdam and Munich normally join the Berlin community physically for an initial two-week period. Berlin-based founders remain close to the residency’s main hub throughout the programme.

Who Can Apply?

Antler ONE welcomes founders with different levels of progress.

A candidate may have:

• No final business idea;
• A problem area they want to explore;
• A potential co-founder;
• A complete founding team;
• An MVP;
• Early customers;
• Initial revenue or market traction.

Antler evaluates the founder’s potential, not only the startup’s current metrics. It looks for applicants who demonstrate unusual drive, resilience, expertise and commitment.

Participation requires full-time attention. Applicants should not expect to complete the residency while maintaining a separate full-time job, degree, company or major freelance workload.

Antler Berlin Investment Terms

When Antler decides to invest, it may commit €500,000 at inception.

The current published structure includes €200,000 in immediate capital and up to €300,000 in rolling follow-on capital.

Of the initial €200,000:

• €100,000 converts into 8.5% ownership before the next equity round;
• €100,000 is provided through an uncapped convertible note with most-favoured-nation provisions.

The remaining amount may be invested through an Agreement for Rolling Capital in the startup’s next external round within nine months. Antler says the overall commitment typically results in approximately 10% ownership at a €5 million valuation.

Final ownership can change according to subsequent financing terms. Founders should carefully review dilution, conversion and most-favoured-nation provisions with a qualified adviser.

What Does Antler Look for Before Investing?

Antler makes its decision after observing founders closely during the residency.

It assesses:

• Execution speed;
• Learning ability;
• Founder–idea fit;
• Co-founder relationships;
• Market size;
• Scalability;
• Early customer evidence;
• The possibility of building a billion-euro company.

Every team pitches to Antler’s investment committee at the end of the process, although exceptional companies may receive a decision earlier.

Antler is sector-agnostic. Its Continental European portfolio includes B2B software, fintech, health technology, climate technology, artificial intelligence and industrial innovation companies.

Support After Investment

Antler provides fundraising preparation, investor introductions, strategic support, international connections and continued access to its founder network.

Invested companies can receive office access in Berlin, Amsterdam or Munich for several months and may qualify for more than €4 million in partner benefits covering cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence, software and development tools.

Antler can also invest further capital through later rounds, with a stated maximum of up to €30 million per company through Series C.

Official Application Link

Apply for Antler Continental Europe Berlin 2026

Select Europe and Continental Europe (Amsterdam/Berlin/Munich).